Random advice for young competitors.

Any advice for young competitors looking to compete in high level judo competitions. Anything is good.

Never miss practice.

BillC wrote:Never miss practice.

++

Don't attempt a technique never tried in uchi komi.

3knvw wrote:Any advice for young competitors looking to compete in high level judo  competitions. Anything is good.

Each NGB will have a specific pathway for development from junior level through to competing at world and Olympic levels.

It is worth studying that pathway and dovetailing your own goals and plans with that pathway, in conjunction with your coach. You will need a strategy for how to get from your current level to the point where you are considered for membership within high-performance squads etc...

In parallel, you should consider the political context of your NGB which - sad to say - is often not 100% meritocratic. It may be necessary to align yourself, or distance yourself from certain clubs/teams/fiefdoms. While this is understandably unpalatable, it is also realistic and you should avoid as much as possible ending in a situation where a lesser player is given an opportunity at your expense because of favouritism.

Another point to consider is that unless you are privately funded, you will need to secure access to funding streams in order to support your training and competition regime (including, of course, medical costs), and if you come from a smaller judo nation, how to get access and funding for training programs in more significant judo centers, such as France, Germany, Japan and so on.

Lastly, it is worth taking a cold, hard look at your realistic chances of competing at this level. For example, if you are starting judo in your late teens, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to develop the requisite components and skill set before you are simply too old. Perhaps try to attend an elite training session as an observer to get a sense of the disparity in skill, fitness etc... that exists between a strong 'recreational' judo player and international competitors. Also, if you come from a country where judo is a minority sport (most English-speaking countries), a 'career' in international competitive judo could be a difficult, costly road - but - as with many difficult things in life, one with many surprising rewards.

Nevertheless, good luck!

Go, Do, Enjoy yourself and learn, and if you win a medal, that's a bonus !!

Thanks for all the replies!

Steve Leadbeater wrote:Go, Do, Enjoy yourself and learn, and if you win a medal, that's a bonus !!

I don't want to put words in Steve's mouth, but I will build on his comments.

It's often said "I'd rather be lucky than good ... but it seems the harder I work the luckier I get."  Thus my original comment.

More than that ... sorry to say that the shortest path to the medal stand is often morally questionable, as are the goals and means employed by those who promote "high level judo."  International competition is ultimately a frustration for all but the very few, very lucky individuals ... a fleeting illusion anyway ...  Yamashita Yasuhiro famously said the day after he won the Olympic gold something to the effect of "I was the gold medalist yesterday, but not today.  If the competition were held today, someone else likely would have won."  In other words "sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you."  It's the perseverance that is important in and of itself.

What the old farts are telling you is that based on our experience you will be a better ... perhaps even a happier and more complete judoka ... and human being if you concentrate on discovering what judo really is, the joy of being a judoka, become a person whose grace and gentleness amplify their obvious personal strength.  And if you are the type of person to whom success in competition comes ... as Steve says ... "that's a bonus."

I had some kids on their first comp over the weekend.

Before they went I told them to bow politely, listen to the refreee at all times, use a throw to put their opponents on their back and hold hold them there and most of all to enjoy the experience.

They all had a ball.

Cheers

3knvw wrote:Any advice for young competitors looking to compete in high level judo  competitions. Anything is good.

Here is some food for thought :
SETTING TRAINING GOALS FOR JUDO

Nice advice here.

Emanuele2 wrote:Don't attempt a technique never tried in uchi komi.

Don't attempt a technique only ever attempted in Uchi Komi, either.

jkw wrote:

3knvw wrote:Any advice for young competitors looking to compete in high level judo  competitions. Anything is good.

Each NGB will have a specific pathway for development from junior level through to competing at world and Olympic levels.

It is worth studying that pathway and dovetailing your own goals and plans with that pathway, in conjunction with your coach. You will need a strategy for how to get from your current level to the point where you are considered for membership within high-performance squads etc...

In parallel, you should consider the political context of your NGB which - sad to say - is often not 100% meritocratic. It may be necessary to align yourself, or distance yourself from certain clubs/teams/fiefdoms. While this is understandably unpalatable, it is also realistic and you should avoid as much as possible ending in a situation where a lesser player is given an opportunity at your expense because of favouritism.

Another point to consider is that unless you are privately funded, you will need to secure access to funding streams in order to support your training and competition regime (including, of course, medical costs), and if you come from a smaller judo nation, how to get access and funding for training programs in more significant judo centers, such as France, Germany, Japan and so on.

Lastly, it is worth taking a cold, hard look at your realistic chances of competing at this level. For example, if you are starting judo in your late teens, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to develop the requisite components and skill set before you are simply too old. Perhaps try to attend an elite training session as an observer to get a sense of the disparity in skill, fitness etc... that exists between a strong 'recreational' judo player and international competitors. Also, if you come from a country where judo is a minority sport (most English-speaking countries), a 'career' in international competitive judo could be a difficult, costly road - but - as with many difficult things in life, one with many surprising rewards.

Nevertheless, good luck!

Darned good advice !

I would add that a young person should evaluate there physical/medical condition as well. Starting out with some sort of injury, even minor but not really fixable, can be a huge drag on your training (depending on the injury).

3knvw wrote:Any advice for young competitors looking to compete in high level judo  competitions. Anything is good.

How about telling us about yourself. How old you are, how long/much you have trained at Judo, stuff like that.

I am a thirteen year old green belt i have been training since i was nine i do judo 5 days a week plus
weight training three days a week and i go hiking every weekend.It is my goal to go to the olympics and other IJF events.

have fun doing it and love what you do.
i've known people who were fantastic competitors, but did not like judo. they were forced to train and never developed a love for judo. it's a sad sight for me, because i thought i had the love, but none of their talent. but life is funny like that.

You would have told Dave Starrbrook not to start judo at 19!!

jkw wrote:

3knvw wrote:Any advice for young competitors looking to compete in high level judo  competitions. Anything is good.

Each NGB will have a specific pathway for development from junior level through to competing at world and Olympic levels.

It is worth studying that pathway and dovetailing your own goals and plans with that pathway, in conjunction with your coach. You will need a strategy for how to get from your current level to the point where you are considered for membership within high-performance squads etc...

In parallel, you should consider the political context of your NGB which - sad to say - is often not 100% meritocratic. It may be necessary to align yourself, or distance yourself from certain clubs/teams/fiefdoms. While this is understandably unpalatable, it is also realistic and you should avoid as much as possible ending in a situation where a lesser player is given an opportunity at your expense because of favouritism.

Another point to consider is that unless you are privately funded, you will need to secure access to funding streams in order to support your training and competition regime (including, of course, medical costs), and if you come from a smaller judo nation, how to get access and funding for training programs in more significant judo centers, such as France, Germany, Japan and so on.

Lastly, it is worth taking a cold, hard look at your realistic chances of competing at this level. For example, if you are starting judo in your late teens, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to develop the requisite components and skill set before you are simply too old. Perhaps try to attend an elite training session as an observer to get a sense of the disparity in skill, fitness etc... that exists between a strong 'recreational' judo player and international competitors. Also, if you come from a country where judo is a minority sport (most English-speaking countries), a 'career' in international competitive judo could be a difficult, costly road - but - as with many difficult things in life, one with many surprising rewards.

Nevertheless, good luck!

samsmith2424 wrote:You would have told Dave Starrbrook not to start judo at 19!!

It's always possible to provide a contrary example, but this doesn't negate the argument as we are speaking in generalities. For example if to OP was already an Olympic athlete in another fighting sport then this would clearly change things much.

I certainly would never tell anybody not to start judo - what I said was it is worth examining your chances of becoming an elite level competitor in judo if you are in your late teens against the costs/effort required and likelihood of success.

I would offer this advice to anyone who is contemplating any major change that I know will require enormous sacrifice, resources and effort. Not only for yourself but also those close to you. It is never a bad thing to carefully count the costs before embarking on a big endeavor.